Video: Alex Salmond ‘deeply disappointed’ with Trump victory

JAMES DELANEY

The former First Minister said he was “deeply disappointed” with the result of the American presidential election, which saw Donald Trump claim a shock victory.

Speaking in an interview with Sky News, Alex Salmond hoped that the White House would change Trump for the better.

“I’m deeply disappointed, though I suspect my disappointment is nothing compared to the religious minorities, the racial minorities that Donald Trump demeaned during the election campaign of what is now a deeply divided society in America,” he said.

“Politicians by and large in democracies don’t mobilise racial and religious antagonism to get elected.

“We’ll have to hope the presidency changes a man, I think all of us better have and hang on to that hope.”

I suspect my disappointment is nothing compared to the religious minorities, the racial minorities that Donald Trump demeaned

Alex Salmond

The MP for Gordon has butted heads with Trump on numerous occasions in the past, most famously over the future president’s objection to a wind farm being built off the coast of his golf course in Aberdeenshire.

Salmond initially backed proposals for the resort, which Trump alleged would bring 6,000 jobs to the area.

However, after a series of high-profile issues with the development, only 100 people were employed at the course forcing Mr Salmond to change his position.

Since then the pair have traded a series of stinging barbs, with the ex-SNP leader branding the business tycoon “three times a loser” and Trump describing Salmond as “an embarrassment to Scotland.”

Discussing the President-Elect’s maiden speech Salmond said:

“His acceptance speech was magnanimous, I’m not surprised by that.

“The difficulty with Donald Trump isn’t when he’s winning, when he’s getting his own way, he’s nice as ninepence when that happens, the difficulty with Donald Trump is what happens when he comes up against opposition or roadblocks.

Aberdeenshire council initially threw out $1.5bn plans for Trump’s luxury resort on the famed Menie estate in 2007, however the project was given the go ahead a year later after Scottish government intervention.